Jumping on the bandwagon is a ride to nowhere.

June 19, 2017

Jumping on the bandwagon is a ride to nowhere.

People like to be part of the next big thing. Since no one ever knows what that is going to be, we content ourselves with being part of the current big thing. (Calling something a “thing” or asking if something’s a “thing” is a big thing these days.)

People who work in marketing communications are no different. As a result, advertising is as prone to fads and fashions as our everyday lives are. These things come and (fortunately) go. But while they last, advertisers scramble to climb on the bandwagon. Which is probably better than being “thrown under the bus,” as they say, but in terms of communication, no more effective.

Before many of you were born, television commercials filmed with shaky cameras were trendy (or “trending” as the current trend puts it). Later, it seemed like the video in every other commercial sped up and slowed down repeatedly for no discernable reason. Nowadays, it is difficult for advertisers to simply say their names without prefacing it with “We Are.” Prospects no longer want or need our products or services—they “Deserve” them. And it seems necessary to promise a prospect “you’ll get your _________ back” if you use our product or service.

Many of these things originated for a good reason, and may well have been effective. But about the time they’re imitated enough to become clichés, in terms of effectiveness—they’ve already become passé.